"I'm fine." My furious whisper cut through the crackling air as the twins and I exchanged a look.
"No Casper we have to do this prank on our own the teachers are all on a look out for you. They're all worried about you and frankly that would jeopardize the mission." Fred said and I looked up, fuming.
I knew they were right. Ever since the quidditch incident the teachers have been especially cautious with me. Even the students steered clear of me. I fought desperately to keep happy, keep positive but I swear if it weren't for Hagrid and my daily word fights with Snape I would sink right back into depression.
"Fine but don't come running back to me when you need me to get you out of trouble." I snapped and stalked away. My nails were digging into my arm and blood was running down my arm as I fought with myself. Every since the incident Power had been much more talkative.
"You can make them need you. They're nothing compared to us." Her bell-like voice rang in my head and made me want to puke.
"Shut up," I thought and shoved her to the back of my mind. I stalked down to the potions room. I didn't bother to knock as I barged into the room and rushed to the potions cabinet. With skilled fingers I pulled out the old herbs and sorted the new ones.
I heard a someone clear their throat behind them but I ignored it, sorting the bezoars into their correct shelf.
"Miss. Potter." Snape's voice snapped me out of my daze and I turned around slightly.
"Yes Professor?"
"If your blood gets on my potion stores I will not be pleased."
I looked down to my arm to see blood running slowly down my arm. In a second I healed the self inflicted wound and cleaned up the blood. When I finished I went back to cleaning the potion stores. I finished and walked out of the potions room, feeling calm again.
"Ooooh I got you this time didn't I? Dumbledore will have to expel you now."
I heard the voice coming around the corner and I hid behind a suit of armor. I could only watch as Filch walked past with Fred and George. I quickly put a disillusionment charm on myself and followed.
I followed them all the way down to Filch's office then watched as the caretaker got out a sheet of paper and a quill. I peaked my head out the door to see if anyone was around and slipped out. I took off the charm and, with a fake concerned look on my face, ran into the office.
"Excuse me." I said and everyones head spun around to me. I pushed my hair back and continued looking at Filch as if I hadn't seen him.
"What do you want?" Asked the caretaker, his voice full of accusation.
"Peeves is wrecking one of the old classrooms. I didn't know who else to go to." I answered making sure to make my tone one of flattery and not malice.
"That blasted-" Filch ran past me still muttering under his breath.
"Hello boys I'm Casper I'll be saving your ass's today." I said turning to the boys.
"You're an angel you know that?" George said kissing my hand. I laughed smacking him in the back of the head.
"Proud of it."
"Just wait one sec." Fred said and grabbed a piece of parchment out of Filch's desk. We all ran out of the office and back to the common room, landing in our chairs breathing heavily.
"How'd you know Peeves was wrecking a classroom?" Asked Fred, his chest heaving.
"We had talked earlier. I only now realize that I didn't tell Filch which classroom." I answered and started laughing. They twins both laughed with me until Fred pulled out his parchment.
"Whatcha nick there Freddy?" George asked and his twin gave a shrug.
"I dunno but Filch confiscated it so it must be something right?" The red headed boy answered and I gave a laugh.
"Alright hand it over then we'll see what this things about." I piped in and grabbed the parchment.
I opened the weathered page and drew the tip of my wand up and down the page, just feeling.
"Can you one of you guys hand me a quill and ink?" I muttered as my eyes scanned the page.
On que Fred ran off to get the items I had asked for and I ran my finger across the page, my skin leaving little white lines that disappeared almost as soon as they appeared. Fred came back with the quill and ink and handed them to me. I dipped the quill in the ink and put a dot on the page.
The ink disappeared just as fast as my white line and the George made a little noise. I looked at him, my eyebrow raised and he gave a laugh. I dipped the quill in the ink and wrote a small "Hullo" on the paper.
We watched as the word sunk into the paper and a little "Hi who is this?" appeared after it. I exchanged wide eyed looks with the boys and looked back at the paper.
"I'm Casper. Casper Potter I'm with my friends Fred and George Weasley." I wrote back and George looked at me, his eyes like two quaffles.
"You're telling it our names?" He exclaimed and I silenced him with a finger.
"Potter? How did you acquire our map?" It replied.
"First off all I want to know how you are and how is it a map? It's a blank sheet of parchment."
"Well we are the Marauders Moony, Prongs, Padfoot, and Wormtail and this is the Marauders Map."
"Oh well my friends and I are students from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. We were pulling a prank and we nicked this from the caretakers office." I wrote and Fred looked at me incredulously.
"Casper what if thats a teacher? They could be using it to watch us. They'd know I nicked it!" Said Fred and I gave him a glare.
"Hush it's not a teacher, if it was then why would Filch have confiscated it?" I answered and he closed his mouth.
"Well since you asked how this was a map we'll show you, simply tap your wand on the paper and say 'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.' The map will show you Hogwarts and all of those in it and when you're finished using it simply repeat the first and instead say 'Mischief Managed.'" The paper said and I pulled out my wand and tapped the page as it told me.
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." I said and watched, wide eyed, as more ink appeared on the paper
Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs
Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers are proud to present
THE MARAUDER'S MAP
"Thats brilliant." George whispered and I grinned widely, opening the map.
As promised, the map showed everything and everyone on the grounds of Hogwarts. There were little names that popped up around the page and walked around as if following their body counterparts.
"Look there's us!" I exclaimed pointing to our names on the page, "Gryffindor common room, guys this map is spot on."
"Blimey there's even Dumbledore." Fred added while pointing to the headmaster's name.
We all bent over the map, our eyes scouring the surface looking for other names we knew. We soon found McGonagall, Percy, Charlie, and Lee Jordan all walking around the school.
"Wait McGonagall's coming towards the common room." I said and quickly drew my wand again.
"Mischief Managed."
The portrait hole opened and McGonagall walked in, her face in a stern expression.
"Hullo Professor is that a new hat?" I asked and she gave me an annoyed look.
"No it is not, I presume you know why I'm here." She snapped and I looked at the boys calmly.
"Yes I do." I replied and the boys both looked at me.
"You do?" They asked and I gave them both a smile.
"Course I do."
"You do, do you now?" McGonagall was looking at me, waiting for me to answer.
"Well first, you're the Gryffindor head of house so you have every right in the world to be here. Second, It's not always us that do things which I would like to point out. Third, I had asked one of the third years to ask you when a good time would be to talk to you about my last essay." I finished the sentence without even a glance at the boys. I looked at McGonagall whose face suddenly turned confused.
"Which third years?" She asked sharply, and I shrugged.
"Don't know. I had just seen them walk out one of your classes and I was going to walk in but you looked busy."
She looked rather aghast, and I gave her another small shrug as if I was forgiving her for a mistake she made.
"Well what about your paper did you want to talk about?" She asked, straightening her little glasses and sitting down rather properly on the couch across from us.
"Well I just feel as if I could have done better with it."
"You got every question right but one."
"My point exactly. See at that point I was going through a, rough, time and I wasn't really trying very hard on the working part of things. I mean, those questions were a week early anyway so could I maybe redo it or get an alternate assignment?" I suggested and the boys both looked at me, jaws dropped.
"Blimey how thick are you, you're asking for more homework?!" Fred exclaimed and I gave a little laugh bumping him in the shoulder lightly.
"Shut your trap." I hissed in between a smile and he shut his mouth.
"Well I would have to think about that I suppose." She answered, and I gave her another grin.
"Thanks Professor." I said and she stood up and left the common room, a rather confused look on her face. She walked out of the portrait hole and once it closed I jumped off the couch, spinning to face the twins.
"You almost ruined the whole thing!" I exclaimed throwing my hands in the air, scaring a second year who was just leaving his dormitory.
"What whole thing?" The twins asked in unison and I sighed, holding my head and falling backward on the couch McGonagall had just been sitting at.
"She was obviously about to bust us for the Filch thing. If it weren't for my quick thinking we would all be rotting in detention." I growled and they looked at each other and laughed, the sound ringing throughout the empty room.
"You're a star you really are." said Fred.
"Honestly Casper we worship the ground you walk on we would be nowhere without you." George added.
"You're jerks." I muttered throwing pillows at their head and laughing as they made contact.
"Yeah, but you have to deal with us."
Authors Note- So guys I'm so sorry I haven't posted in forever my mum took my computer and I have had so much soccer its crazy and I hurt my foot in my last game and its all swollen and discolored and ugh. Anyway I'm back now so yay! :)